New Shindo Auriges preamp in the house

[JohnK]

Congratulations, Alberto. If the sound is as half as delicious as the inspirations for Shindo model names, it will be very very tasty.

Innerworld Audio - "Honeyed, Luxe and Aristocratic"

I am looking forward to the review, even if will necessarily omit the use of tone controls.

[Alberto]

Originally Posted by JohnK

Congratulations, Alberto. If the sound is as half as delicious as the inspirations for Shindo model names, it will be very very tasty.

Innerworld Audio - "Honeyed, Luxe and Aristocratic"

I am looking forward to the review, even if will necessarily omit the use of tone controls.

Hi John,

Thank you so much for that tasty article. I thought I had found all there was to read about Shindo on the web, but this one had escaped me.

Review is in the works!

Alberto

[JohnK]

Alberto, that article was a reference from this page, which, while it doesn't have additional informational text, does have a couple more images.


Twittering Machines » Inner Shindo

[jwhite613]

Alberto, What are your impressions now a couple weeks later? Hopefully you have been able to spend some good quality time with your new setup.

[Alberto]

Originally Posted by jwhite613

Alberto, What are your impressions now a couple weeks later? Hopefully you have been able to spend some good quality time with your new setup.

Alas, I have not had much quality time with my system yet - work, work, work.

But from my few hours of listening the Auriges preamp sounds as wonderful as the reviews say. It adds a lot of air and three-dimensionality to the sound, it's also beefier in the bass than the C220.

There is one problem though ... no tone controls. I knew this was going to be an issue at some point, but I am determined to try and live without them. If I can't make it with the Auriges, there's probably no hope for me in this matter.

So far, I've had mixed success.

Regardless of the quality of the playback system, low-level listening without some bass tone controls is a less than satisfying experience. There's simply no way around the fact that at lower volumes our ears are less sensitive to low frequencies.

There's also the usual issue with some bright and harsh recording. The Shindos sounds smooth, but they are also quite revealing - there isn't a lot of room for nasty high frequencies to hide.

It took me 3 years to get my previous system to the point where I was REALLY happy with it. I expect to be doing quite a bit more experimenting in the months to follow.

But before anyone jumps in to say that I shouldn't have messed with a good thing (MDA1000->C220->MC501->SF Guarneri Homage), I have to point out that I am REALLY enjoying myself and learning a lot about other brands and approaches to get delicious sound.

Alberto

[cmalak]

Congrats Alberto...I am sure you will enjoy the Green experience once you have everything dialed-in and settled. Enjoy

[turntable]

Alberto

You need to add a SPU and SUT and you will be in heaven with the Thorens and SME. SPU cartridges have a knack of bringing out the musicality and mid range warmth of music, and leaving bright upper frequencies in the background.

and you could do what I used to do with my c2300, plug your mac pre amp into the Shindo pre amp tape section so you can listen to the tone controls when you want to.

[Cellindo]

Dear Alberto,

As a Monbrison owner, may I suggest that you experiment with a few things:

1/ Shindo preamps are very sensitive to the power cord. You will need to do some trials with different brands.

2/ It can sound better WITHOUT the ground (I mean just phase + neutral, but no ground on your power outlet). Try both configurations.

3/ Usually a thick (from 1 and up-to 2 inches) solid wood support will complement well the Shindo Green gear.

Enjoy these rare equipments.

[Alberto]

Originally Posted by turntable

Alberto

You need to add a SPU and SUT and you will be in heaven with the Thorens and SME. SPU cartridges have a knack of bringing out the musicality and mid range warmth of music, and leaving bright upper frequencies in the background.

and you could do what I used to do with my c2300, plug your mac pre amp into the Shindo pre amp tape section so you can listen to the tone controls when you want to.

Thanks for the suggestions. I used your tape section preamp trick in the past. Unfortunately, the Shindo lacks a tape section. It's very basic - 4 inputs and 1 output.

Alberto

[Alberto]

Originally Posted by Cellindo

Dear Alberto,

As a Monbrison owner, may I suggest that you experiment with a few things:

1/ Shindo preamps are very sensitive to the power cord. You will need to do some trials with different brands.

2/ It can sound better WITHOUT the ground (I mean just phase + neutral, but no ground on your power outlet). Try both configurations.

3/ Usually a thick (from 1 and up-to 2 inches) solid wood support will complement well the Shindo Green gear.

Enjoy these rare equipments.

Thanks Cellindo,

About 1) & 2), I was told my many people to stick with the Shindo power cords, that's what they were voiced and developed with. Currently I am running it without a ground.

I will try 3), but there aren't any inherent problems with my setup, it sounds great with well recorded music. My issue is with poorly recorded (i.e. thin or harsh) recordings - tone controls really help with that and I miss them more than I thought. I know it's not an issue for many/most people; I guess my ears are more sensitive to certain high frequencies - they can really bother me.

Alberto